Grant Ward
Austin Lyon |status= In Custody }} Grant Douglas Ward was a HYDRA infiltrator in S.H.I.E.L.D. disguised as a Level 7 operative. He was recruited onto Coulson's Team working with them on all their missions, pretending to be gruff and anti-social and to become emotionally attached to the team. During the S.H.I.E.L.D. Civil War he killed Victoria Hand, but still maintained his cover as a loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He broke cover on Garrett's orders and rejoined HYDRA. Biography Early life Grant Ward grew up in the Massachusetts area amid a difficult childhood. He had an abusive older brother who would frequently force Ward to beat up his younger brother. His parents were even worse.The Only Light in the Darkness An incident in particular that had a profound effect on Ward, was when his older brother threw his younger brother into a well and sought to prevent Ward from rescuing him. Ward eventually managed to do it without his brother knowing.The Well Recruited by Garrett In 1999, Ward went AWOL from the military academy that he had been sent to, stole a car, drove over 1000 miles home, and set fire to his parents' home. Unknown to Ward, his older brother Maynard was inside. Maynard survived, but pushed for the courts to try Grant as an adult. While being detained at a juvenile detention center, Ward was unexpectedly visited by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent John Garrett, who offered him a choice, leave with Garrett now and be taught the skills needed to survive, or face prison. Ward agreed and for five years, Garrett subjected Ward to a number of grueling survival tests in the Wyoming wilderness, eventually shaping him up into a cold, driven survivalist. Garrett eventually revealed to Ward that he was not, in fact, loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D., but to HYDRA.Ragtag About five years outside the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, Ward was posed for sixteen months as a Russian attaché at the embassy in Warsaw, Poland.Nothing Personal After proving his worth, Ward became a full fledged agent, rising through the ranks under Garrett's tutelage and supervision. Deputy Director Maria Hill gave Ward top marks in combat and the highest espionage rating since Natasha Romanoff, giving him low marks only in his people skills. In 2008, Ward saw action in Georgia during a rebel uprising. He made several contacts along the South Ossetian border during this time.The Hub Mission in Paris Grant Ward and his team were assigned to a mission in Paris, France. Ward was assigned to break into a hidden vault belonging to the international criminal, Vanchat and steal a Chitauri neural link which had come into Vanchat's possession and was going to sell to an unknown buyer. After taking the link, he was discovered and fought his way to the top of the building, where he was extracted by helicopter. Coulson's team Before the Battle of New York, Agent Phil Coulson, an old friend of Garrett's, was slain at the hands of Loki and days later restored to life through unknown means. Garrett, whose health was beginning to fail, hoped to find out how Coulson was revived, hoping he could restore his own health through the same means. When Coulson assembled a new team of specialists to investigate new, strange and unknown threats, Garrett suggested to Coulson that Ward be a part of his new team, ostensibly to "smooth out" Ward's "rough edges", but in reality, Ward was Garrett's undercover asset, attempting to discover the truth about Coulson's resurrection.Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Acting As Skye's S.O. During the team's first mission together, they encountered a Rising Tide "hacktivist" known only as Skye, who was their only lead in the case of Michael Peterson. Having had some negative encounters with Rising Tide after their release of classified data during ongoing operations, Ward took an instant dislike to Skye. She was also an unknown factor that neither Ward nor Garrett had calculated. After the mission, Coulson recruited her to the team as a consultant, over Ward's objections.Pilot However, after Skye's quick thinking saved his life while taking back the Bus from Camilla Reyes' hijackers, Ward saw a way learn more about her, thus removing any unknown element she might bring into the mix. Ward agreed to take her on as her "Supervising Officer", who would oversee her training and education. 0-8-4 (episode) Ward began her training, but felt that Skye wasn't fully commiting herself to it or S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson suggested a different, more personal approach. Ward responded by giving some details of his personal life and rough childhood to Skye, describing his so-called "defining moment" to her. During the operation to rescue Dr. Franklin Hall in Malta, Ward objected when Skye volunteered to infiltrate the compound of Ian Quinn, citing the facts that she wasn't nearly qualified yet for such an operation. When Skye completed her mission, allowing Ward and Coulson to infiltrate the compound, she used Ward's training to good effect, but had to rescued by Ward in the end. After the op, Skye seemed to fully commit herself to her training and S.H.I.E.L.D.The Asset However, a few weeks later, the team was seemingly betrayed by Skye, who alerted her boyfriend, hacker Miles Lydon, that S.H.I.E.L.D. was closing in on him while tracking down a leak that endangered the life of Hong Kong resident Chan Ho Yin. Ward cuffed Skye and took her and Lydon into custody aboard the Bus. When Ward produced evidence that Lydon had accepted payment of one million dollars for the information that endangered Chan's life, Skye was infuriated and felt betrayed by Lydon. Later, when the operation to extract Chan from captivity by the "Centipede Project" (Actually Garrett's HYDRA-funded science group) went bad, Ward released Skye from custody and accepted her help in rescuing Coulson and Melinda May. Skye very quickly managed to hack "Centipede's" mainframe and release the locked doors, allowing Coulson and May to escape. Coulson later agreed to let Skye remain on the team as long as she came completely clean with the team and agreed to wear a tracking and monitoring bracelet at all times. Girl in the Flower Dress Other Actions While undercover in Zloda, Belarus, attempting to maintain the cover of compromised S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Akela Amador, Ward infiltrated a research facility where he observed a complex equation believed by the higher-ups at S.H.I.E.L.D. to possibly be alien in origin.Eye-Spy When the team had a stopover at the installation known as The Hub, Agent Victoria Hand assigned Ward and Agent Leo Fitz on a mission to Russia to destroy an enemy weapon known as the "Overkill Device". Ward went into the assignment watching the back of the inexperienced Fitz, but despite a few mistakes, Fitz surprised Ward with his quick thinking, adaptability and courage during the assignment.The Hub Ward further gained the trust of the team by jumping out of the Bus to rescue Jemma Simmons, who had jumped from the Bus without a parachute in order to protect her team from an alien virus. Ward was never in any danger as he had a parachute, and administered the cure to Simmons during free-fall.FZZT Dark Past Later after Thor saved the Earth from the wraith of Malekith and the Dark Elves, Ward along with the rest of the team and S.H.I.E.L.D proceeded to clean up the mess the battle had left Greenwich with. Later they were called to investigate the mystical weapon known as the Berserker Staff which had been discovered by Norse Paganist leaders Jakob Nystrom and Petra Larsen. While searching for the next piece Ward came across the piece and Professor Elliot Randolph but as he attempted to take it off him the Staff infected Ward with it's mystical strength but it also shined a dark memory he had long hidden. As the effects of the Staff continued to affect Ward his anger seemed rise to new levels causing him to lash out on his own team members. The team finally located the final piece thanks to Elliot Randolph who was revealed to be the Asgardian soldier who hid the Staff. When Grant and the team arrived they were confronted by Jakob who had beat them to the location. Seeing no other choice Grant grabed a piece of the Staff and attacked Jakob who after a diffcult battle was defeated by Ward who then procceded to defeat the remainig Paganist all while fighting through his own dark memory causing him to collaspe. Suddenly Petra and another member arrived only to be defeated by Melinda May who had taken the Staff off of him to help. Later at a bar Ward apologized to Skye who let him know if he ever needed to talk she was there. As he went to his room he saw May with a bottle who after a brief look entered her own room with the door open with Ward soon following. Seeing May as the biggest threat to his mission, he allowed things to get intimate. True Colors Ward assisted his team on other missions with his skills as an undercover specialist. He pretended to be a train conductor when the team was chasing Ian Quinn. Unfortunately, Skye got shot twice in the stomach during that mission T.R.A.C.K.S. and his feelings for her grew as his relationship with May waned. Ward helped with Skye's recovery by breaking into the Guest House with Coulson, Fitz, and Garrett when Garrett arrived with his new recruit, Antoine Triplett.T.A.H.I.T.I. As Skye recovered, Ward told her that he blamed himself and his training for her injury, but she promised him that she would train harder. Ward got the assignment to help Sif with the capture of Lorelei in Nevada. Lorelei enthralled him after she saw his strength in battle. After spending the night together in Las Vegas, Ward was candid with Lorelei about his feelings toward Skye and May and told her that Coulson's team stood between her and world domination. Together, they hijacked the Bus and Ward had a lengthy fight with May, where he would have killed her if his gun wasn't empty. This effectively ended their relationship. Yes Men Grant Ward witnessed as Skye became an official S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in order to access the Index so she could find what rejects might be the Clairvoyant. Ward was teamed with Triplett to investigate Elijah Fordham, but, before they could find him, they were called to help Felix Blake against Deathlok. Deathlok was found in Pensacola, Florida and he led a raiding party including Ward to Thomas Nash. When Nash threatened Skye's life, Ward killed him. End of the Beginning S.H.I.E.L.D. Civil War During the S.H.I.E.L.D. Civil War, Ward explained to Coulson that Victoria Hand, who was believed to be the Clairvoyant, could not get the research and items stored on the Bus, so Coulson had Skye make an encrypted hard drive containing that data. Ward and Skye worked together to battle through the Hub as they discussed their feelings. When Coulson, Fitz and May were surrounded by HYDRA agents and John Garrett, who revealed he was both the Clairvoyant and HYDRA, Ward and Skye rescued them. Ward requested to help deliver Garrett to the Fridge with Hand. However, he killed her to free his fellow HYDRA agent. Turn, Turn, Turn Ward proceeded to free Raina from her imprisonment and took her to Cuba to introduce her to their mutual benefactor. At the Barbershop Headquarters, Ward and Garrett presented Raina with the drugs from the Guest House and the encrypted hard drive Skye had made so she could perfect Project Deathlok. Afterwards, they went off with Agent Kaminsky to raid the Fridge, releasing its prisoners, including Blackout and Ian Quinn, and obtaining its confiscated weapons, like the Berserker Staff, the Peruvian 0-8-4, and the Gravitonium. However, when Raina reported that only Skye could decrypt the hard drive, Ward was ordered to return to Coulson's team to get the pass codes from her. Before he went to Providence, Grant Ward had Garrett crack his ribs. Providence (episode) "Ward is HYDRA" When Ward arrived at Providence, he lied to Coulson's Team about the Fridge, telling them that he killed John Garrett as Garrett was freeing the prisoners. Coulson decided to take half the team to Portland to pursue Blackout, but Agent Eric Koenig insisted that they all used the Lie Detector first. Ward barely passed his test. When Skye and Koenig discussed using NSA satellites to watch the prison break, Ward knew that would expose his cover; therefore, he killed Koenig, hid his body in a closet and convinced Skye to leave with him on the Bus. Unknown to Ward, Skye had already found Koenig's body and left the message "Ward is HYDRA" for her teammates to find. Ward flew to Ruthie's Skillet in Los Angeles since Skye told him that the encryption was location-based. While there, he learned that Skye knew his affiliation, but when she tried to escape, Deathlok, Ward's back-up, apprehended her. Ward tried to explain to her that his feelings were real, but Skye was too upset to listen. Deathlok then shot Ward with a heart stopper to induce a heart attack to make Skye release the codes. She did, saving Ward's life. Maria Hill arrived as Ward was preparing the Bus for take-off and distracted Ward long enough for Coulson to board and rescue Skye. With the codes, Grant Ward returned to Cuba and Raina was able to finish recreating GH.325. Garrett ordered the abandonment of the Barbershop Headquarters for the new Cybertek facility in Miami, Florida as Raina told Ward about rumors she heard about Skye's parents. Before the Centipede Group could leave, Ward found Fitz and Simmons spying on them. After he captured them, Fitz activated an EMP that further damaged Garrett, who was already suffering from organ failure. Ward then had the pair ejected from the Bus into the Atlantic Ocean. When he returned to Garrett, Ward learned that he had injected the GH.325. Personality Grant Ward generally has a bad temper but is able to stay calm and collected during sticky situations. He is slightly anti-social with strong morals and is known to be 'deadly'. On his days off, however, one could see him either enjoying a nice book or even singing along to his favorite West Side Story verse. As time progressed, Ward seems to soften somewhat, developing companionships with his fellow Agents, which eventually was cemented upon rescuing Agent Simmons after she jumped from the Bus. Ward did not seem overtly interested in relationships, but for a time had a purely sexual relationship with Agent May. However, when he began to develop feelings for Skye, this arrangement ended. Recently it's been revealed that the above personality is a lie and not who Ward truly is. In reality, Ward is a member of HYDRA. As such, he is revealed to be a master manipulator, who is able to adjust his personality in order to gain the trust of others. While he still manages to retain a calm and collect personality from before, he does not have the loyalty or morals that previously demonstrated. His only loyalty is towards John Garrett, whom he claims he owes everything to. He does seem to have some reservations about his actions, but only in regards to Skye. Beyond that, he seems more than willing to work against Coulson and his team. However, he could not bring himself to directly murder Fitz and Simmons, and has them ejected into the ocean instead. Relationships *Family **Unnamed Mother and Father - Abusive, no longer in contact with **Maynard Ward - Abusive Older Brother, no longer any contact with **Unnamed Younger Brother - Forced to bully by Maynard **Unnamed Sister *S.H.I.E.L.D. **Nick Fury - S.H.I.E.L.D. Director (former) **Maria Hill - S.H.I.E.L.D. Deputy Director (former) **Victoria Hand - S.H.I.E.L.D. Superior Officer (former) **John Garrett - S.H.I.E.L.D Supervising Officer (former), HYDRA Superior **Antoine Triplett - S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague and friend turned enemy *Coulson's Team **Phil Coulson - Team leader turned enemy **Melinda May - Teammate and former lover turned enemy **Jemma Simmons - Teammate turned enemy **Leo Fitz - Teammate turned enemy. Fitz is the only one who still thinks that Ward is redeemable. **Skye - Enemy turned Teammate and pupil (former) turned enemy, love interest. *Michael Peterson - Ally *Raina - Enemy turned ally *Akela Amador - Enemy turned ally (former) *Camilla Reyes - Enemy *Ian Quinn - Enemy *Brian Hayward - Enemy *Luca Russo - Enemy *Carlo Mancini - Enemy *Sofia - Enemy *Sif - Ally (former) *Lorelei - Enemy turned enthraller Appearances ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** }} References Category:S.H.I.E.L.D. Category:Humans Category:Males Category:Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Characters Category:Brown Hair Category:Brown Eyes Category:Bilingual Characters Category:Level 7 Category:Coulson's Team Members Category:Heroes Category:HYDRA Category:High Body Count Category:Villains Category:Centipede Group